Understanding Wheel Choices

Preparing Tires For Dirt Racing Tracks

13 August 2017

Abigail Hayes

If you are planning on racing, you will need to have your tires prepared to race on a dirt track. If you don't prepare your tires properly, you will be much less likely to win the race. There are also ways that you should prepare your tires if they have never been used before in a competition.

The Scuff Session

If you have never used tires in a competition, it is recommended that you scuff it. This is because a light heat cycle is needed in order to toughen tires and prepare them for performance and longevity. Sometimes, you are not able to scuff a tire before you begin racing. However, if this is possible, you should run about 8 laps around a track at three quarters the maximum speed. Then, you should allow the tires to cool down. Then, perform a second scuff session and place the tires in storage for a few days.

Slippery Tracks

How you prepare your tires is based on the condition of the track. For example, if you will be racing on a track that is muddy or slick, you will need a soft compound tire that has more grooves that will give your tire more grip. If your tires have wider grooves, they will be better at slinging off any mud that becomes trapped between groove blocks. If mud cakes in the grooves, the tire will become useless. 

Sometimes, the track will be rough or will start to break up. In this situation, it is more effective to have a wide tire with grooves because this will make the tire treat blocks safer, which allows the tires to conform better to the track surface and will provide you with better grip. If the track is slippery, be careful when spinning your wheels too much because this can generate a lot of heat, which can damage the tires. 

Non-Slippery Tracks

When the track is not slippery, but instead has a lot of grip, such as with an abrasive track, a dirt road can start to function a lot like an asphalt road. If the tires have too much grip, rubber can start to be torn from the tire. This is referred to as chunking and can happen when the tire is over-siped. Siping can be difficult to balance because you will need sipes in order to keep heat out of the tires. This can be solved by only siping the tire radially. 

Contact a tire store, like Frisby Performance Tire, for more help.

Share

Search